An Understanding
by Degrassiaholic
Summary: Clare tells KC she finally understands why he was so torn between her and Jenna.  ClareFitz.  Oneshot.


**Author's note: **I do not own Degrassi.

**An Understanding**

Clare sat in the booth, at the Dot, with her hands wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate. KC sat across from her, sipping his water. She could tell he felt a little awkward sitting at the table with her. She didn't blame him. They hadn't been as close as they use to. Given all that has happened in the past year.

She looked at him and gave him a smile. "I just wanted to tell you, I finally understand," she told him.

He looked up from his water glass with a confused look on his face. "I finally understand how it was possible for you to be torn between Jenna and me," she continued. The confusion on his face was quickly replaced with a look of guilt.

"Clare, I am really sorry about that."

She gave him another smile and reached her arm across the table. She held her hand out for him. He hesitated at first, but slowly took it. She gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay KC. I understand where you were coming from and I forgive you."

He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand. "That means a lot to me Clare," he told her.

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was a nice relief to clear the air with KC. Maybe their friendship could be repaired in the future.

She let go of his hand and reached for her cup. She was about to bring it up to her lips, but KC gave her a puzzled look.

"What made you understand where I was coming from?"

She slowly put the cup back down on the table and shook her head. She should have known he was going to ask her. She was just hoping he would take it better than some of her friends had. "Well, when I was with Eli. I started to have thoughts about someone else," she confessed.

Clare expected him to look surprised or shocked. But he didn't. He gave her an understanding smile and nodded his head. She returned his smile and shrugged her shoulders. "I tried not to have those thoughts. I tried to focus my mind on Eli. But, it just didn't work," she told him.

She looked down at the table and sighed. She still felt guilty for what she put Eli through.

This time, it was KC who reached his hand across the table towards her. She grabbed it and let him rub his thumb across her hand. She looked up at him and gave him a smile.

"Clare it will be okay."

She nodded her head, "I just hope someday Eli will understand. You know?" She almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. She never thought she would ever understand why KC broke up with her for Jenna. But she surprised herself, when she started having thoughts for a guy other than Eli.

"He will eventually," KC told her, interrupting her thoughts.

"You don't know that for sure."

"No, I don't. But I never thought you would."

She squeezed his hand and smiled. "Thanks."

"Are you and Eli still together?"

She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. "It's for the best. Besides, I couldn't be with him, if I had feelings for someone else," she told him.

"Does that someone else know?"

She gave him a smile, "Yes he does. And we are going to take it slow."

"Who is the lucky guy?"

"Fitz."

KC's mouth dropped open in a look of utter surprise. "Fitz," he repeated the name and gave her a questioning look. She shook her head, "Before you lecture me about—"

KC quickly interrupted her by putting his hand up in the air to stop her.

"I'm not going to lecture or judge you Clare."

"Oh," she told him. She looked down at the table, in an effort to hide her embarrassment for getting upset. She shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion. She couldn't help it though. For the past couple of weeks all she heard was negative things about Fitz. Or their relationship. "He just better treat you right," KC told her.

She looked back up at him and gave him a smile. It was kind of nice to hear that KC was looking out for her. "He does," she reassured him.

ooooooooo

Clare wasn't exactly sure when the thoughts had exactly started. It could have been the first time Eli confronted Fitz in front of her. Or it could have been the time he strutted down the hallway towards her and Eli.

All Clare knew, with each passing day, was that Fitz burned in her mind. Whether it was his face or something he said. For some reason, she had wanted to get to know him better. She knew he had a different side to him.

She had been proven right at the first part of Vegas Night. She had never expected him to get her a corsage. Whether or not his mom made him bring it. However, that night had taken a turn for the worse. It started with Eli poisoning Fitz's drink and ended with a knife stabbed into a wall.

She had thought she would have stopped thinking about Fitz after that. But she had been _wrong_. He had started to haunt her in her dreams. After that her thoughts and feelings for him intensified.

She felt horrible when she confessed this to Eli. Especially after everything they had been through together. It broke her heart to see the sad look on his face. She never meant to hurt him.

She hoped KC was right. That some day Eli would understand and forgive her. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was really nice that she was able to talk to KC.

She leaned against the chair in the caf and sighed. She glanced around the busy room to clear her mind. She spotted Fitz among the crowd of students. She smiled to herself as he started to approach her. As soon as he reached her table, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was short, but sweet.

He smiled at her before taking the seat next to her. "How did it go with KC," he asked her. She returned his smile. "It went really well," she told him. He reached out and pushed a strand of her curls behind her ear. "I'm glad," he told her as he caressed her cheek.

She blushed at the way Fitz was looking at her and reached for his hand. She grabbed it and interlaced her fingers with his. He gave her another smile and leaned back in the chair.

"Fitz. Clare."

Clare looked up to see KC, with Jenna on his arm, walking by their table. He nodded his head at the two of them and walked to the other side of the caf.

She smiled as they walked past and leaned towards Fitz. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She sighed happily and closed her eyes. Taking in the moment. She leaned further into Fitz's embrace and wrapped her arms around him.

If things could be okay between her and KC, maybe sometime in the future it would be okay with Eli as well.


End file.
